City officials announced Saturday that checkpoints to enter the Pacific Palisades will remain in place despite previously lifting the requirement ahead of the Sunday reopening.
The move was made after some residents voiced concerns that allowing public access would bring looters, squatters and crime to the homes that were still standing but remain uninhabitable due to either fire damage or lack of utilities.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said the change was made possible after Governor Gavin Newsom agreed to provide additional law enforcement resources to keep the Palisades checkpoints in place.
Starting Monday, Feb. 3, identification will still be required to enter the Palisades and responsibility for checkpoint access will transfer from the Los Angeles Police Department to the California Highway Patrol and the National Guard.
Pacific Coast Highway will now reopen a day later on Feb. 3. Beginning at 8 a.m. PCH will reopen with one lane of traffic in each direction. A 25 mph speed limit will be in place and all traffic signals will be flashing red.
Construction, repair work and debris clearing will continue, so drivers are advised to take caution and avoid unnecessary travel to the area.
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MALIBU, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 16: An aerial view of a beachside homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire along Pacific Coast Highway as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 16, 2025 in Malibu, California. Multiple wildfires which were fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds have burned across Los Angeles County leaving at least 27 dead with over 180,000 people having been under evacuation orders. Over 12,000 structures have been burned in the Palisades and Eaton Fires. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) -
Homes along Pacific Coast Highway are seen burn out from the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) -
A surge of law enforcement will be present as Pacific Coast Highway reopens to the public on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 for the first time since the Palisades fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA) -
A crew for Southern California Edison prepares the ground for electric poles along the Pacific Coast Highway near homes destroyed from the Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., Wednesday. Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) -
A surge of law enforcement will be present as Pacific Coast Highway reopens to the public on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 for the first time since the Palisades fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA) -
Side-by-side images show Pacific Coast Highway before and after deadly fires devastated the Los Angeles region. Captured on April 21, 2020, and January 23, 2025. (Andy Riesmeyer) -
A crew for Southern California Edison prepares the ground for electric poles along the Pacific Coast Highway near homes destroyed from the Pacific Palisades Fire in Malibu, Calif., Wednesday. Jan. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel) -
Malibu, CA – January 15: The remains of beachside homes that burned along Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire in Malibu, CA, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images) -
Pacific Coast Highway is reopening to the public on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025 for the first time since the Palisades fire erupted on Jan. 7, 2025. (KTLA) -
Homes along Pacific Coast Highway are left burned to the ground in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher) -
Buildings and cars destroyed by the Palisades fire lay along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California, on January 8, 2025. At least five people are now known to have died in wildfires raging around Los Angeles, with more deaths feared, law enforcement said January 8, as terrifying blazes leveled whole streets, torching cars and houses in minutes.
More than 1,000 buildings have burned in multiple wildfires that have erupted around America’s second biggest city, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes. (Photo by Zoë Meyers / AFP) (Photo by ZOE MEYERS/AFP via Getty Images) -
Charred vehicles sit along the Pacific Coast Highway, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) -
A person walks along a beach past homes destroyed by the Palisades Fire along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
In a Friday meeting, city leaders said there would be “an unprecedented surge of law enforcement” on PCH and the Palisades area.
“The LAPD will surge a specific presence into the Palisades community to make sure that everyone is safe,” said L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. “If you do not need to be in the Palisades, don’t be. We have a zero-tolerance policy for crime. The LAPD will arrest, and City Attorney Feldstein Soto and D.A. Hochman will prosecute.”
General information for residents accessing the Palisades:
- Checkpoints and proof-of-residence or entry pass will still be required to enter the Palisades
- On Sunday, Feb. 2, resident and contractor access passes can be obtained at 1150 Pacific Coast Highway (Lot 3) in Santa Monica between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Contractors are allowed in the fire area and are required to provide identification and proof that they’ve been hired by specific residents within the impacted areas
- Contractors must report to the check-in area (Lot 3) each day to be granted access and will be provided a pass to enter
- PCH will reopen on Monday, Feb. 3. Local traffic only is encouraged. New locations to obtain resident and contractor access passes will be announced Sunday.
- Angelenos entering the burn zones should prepare to protect themselves from health hazards. Visit lacity.gov for more information.
“I am grateful to Governor Newsom for his continued partnership as we respond to this unprecedented disaster,” said Bass. “We continue to adapt in real-time to this dynamic situation. This plan secures the Palisades and eases the strain on LAPD, whose ability to respond across L.A. has been impacted for nearly one month. My priority continues to be rebuilding the Palisades as rapidly and safely as possible.”
“To the survivors of these fires: We have your back, the state will be here every step of the way until your community is fully recovered,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom. “By deploying additional state law enforcement resources, we’re ensuring the Palisades remains secure while freeing up LAPD to focus on the public safety needs of the entire city.”
